President Barack Obama on Friday reassured east European allies that cooperation over missile defence with their Soviet-era master Moscow does not mean NATO will cede partial control to Russia. “We believe that missile defence is something we should be cooperating in with the Russians because we share external threats,” Obama told reporters after meeting with Poland’s President Bronislaw Komorowski, as he wrapped up a European tour. “But we think it is very important that NATO remains in charge of NATO defence capabilities. That’s one of the central principles of NATO,” he underlined.